1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for keeping articles together, wherein the articles have a hole through which the device holds the articles and, more particularly, to an open ring-like device for holding articles and a novel method for inserting or extracting articles from the device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cards such as credit cards or identification cards are used and often required for various purposes ranging from obtaining cash from an automatic teller machine or identifying oneself. These cards are commonly carried in the card pockets of wallets or purses. However, there are a limited number of pockets in a wallet or a purse, the visibility of the cards is restricted and a large number of cards can add an uncomfortable bulk to a wallet. Furthermore, extracting the cards can be a difficult task because the cards commonly have slippery surfaces and are stored in tightly fitting pockets.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,926 (van der Toorn) discloses a device which holds cards in a frame-like card holder with dimensions slightly larger than the card itself. Cards fit inside the holder which has a hole through which a ring keeps a number of holders together. However, this device requires the use of a holder for each of the cards and does not offer a novel approach to inserting or extracting cards from a ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,242,959 (Glass) discloses an invention which does not require a separate card holder for each of the cards. The invention uses cards modified with a slot and a hole located at the end of the slot. A spindle is slid into the slot and fitted into the hole. Unfortunately, this invention requires the use of specially manufactured cards or extensive card modification. These requirements are necessarily constrained by the information presented on the card surface in the form of a picture, a bar code or a magnetic strip.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,871,691 (Bacon) discloses a flexible one-piece key ring where a male end of the ring is inserted into a larger opposite distal female end of the ring whereby the location of barbs and gripping surfaces allow the ring to remain closed. However, the operation of this device requires a separate step of opening or closing the ring, in addition to inserting or extracting the keys.
U.S. Pat. No. 123,360 (Porter et al.) discloses a device designed to hold paper tickets. The device is a ring where one distal end is in the shape of a hook and an opposite distal end is in the shape of an eye. The ring is opened by dislodging the hook from the eye. The holes on the tickets are threaded through the hook to insert the tickets on the ring. Like the Bacon invention above, this invention requires a separate step of opening or closing the ring and inserting or extracting the tickets. Furthermore, the inner edge of the top half of the ring has a sharp edge so that tickets can be torn out, a feature not appropriate for keeping plastic cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,407,863 (Hochenauer) discloses a ring-shaped device where there is a ball fixed at one end of a ring. The ball partially fits into an opening at the opposite distal end of the ring. The ring is opened by laterally pushing the ball end out of alignment with the opposite distal end. Like the inventions mentioned above, this invention requires the user to manually open the ring and an additional step of inserting or extracting an article.